Disney+ is currently hyping up the release of their more adult-oriented Star Wars The Acolyte, but we know that there’s a kid-oriented series coming in the form of Skeleton Crew starring Jude Law.
We don’t have an official trailer for the series yet, but besides what we already know about the show, it’s said that there are going to be some old school visuals courtesy of Phil Tippett’s studio. Talking to Collider at CCXP Mexico City, director Jon Watts explained:
“I got to use all the cool stuff on my most recent Star Wars show. We had pre-viz, MOCAP, we shot on the volume, we did everything. But the most fun part was we also used all the old school techniques as well… We got Phil Tippett to do stop-motion. We did matte paintings, like real old-fashioned matte paintings. We got an ILM painter out of retirement to come out and do that. So to me, all that stuff is fun, but it’s just another tool, and it depends on how you use it.”
Though ILM is known to make use of more advanced visual effects, they have been bringing in Phil Tippett for some more old school visuals in the Disney-era Star Wars films. For one, whenever a holochess/Dejarik scene happens in a movie (i.e., The Force Awakens, Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Rise of Skywalker), that means that Phil Tippett made some new visuals specifically for that scene.
What I’m curious about is the matte paintings. I don’t know what they could be bringing into the scene that would make sense with matte paintings, rather than just adding an element in later with post. Perhaps a Force/dream sequence? I guess I’m just excited to see what’s in store.
For now Acolyte is getting all the attention, but we should get a better look at Skeleton Crew when The Acolyte ends its first season run. Or maybe we could get a small teaser after the premiere? The ball’s in Lucasfilm’s court.
Star Wars Skeleton Crew is expected to come sometime around Christmas this year, but you can watch out for The Acolyte when it premieres on Disney+ on June 4.
